Baby’s death at Day Care centre… Cops take statements from parents, manager

Jul 11, 2012 News

Baquan Shepherd in the arms of his older brother

Police yesterday took statements from the female manager of the Sunbeam Day Care Centre where two-month-old Baquan Shepherd was found dead on Monday.
Kaieteur News was told that the manager of the Thomas Street, Kitty establishment, who was accompanied by an attorney, gave a statement to ranks at the Kitty Police Station. Investigators also took statements from the dead child’s parents.
Contacted last night by Kaieteur News, the manager said that she would respond to questions after the post mortem, which is expected to be conducted today. She disclosed that the day care centre has been in operation for over five years.
Baquan Shepherd was discovered dead at around 16:30 hrs on Monday when his parents went to collect him and his 22-month-old brother.
The baby’s father, Randy Shepherd, told Kaieteur News that he and his fiancée dropped the two children off at the Sunbeam Day Care centre at around 08:30 hrs on Monday. He said that they returned around 16:30 hrs to take the boys home.
“I picked up the first child (the elder brother) and was waiting for my fiancée to pick up the other, when the lady (at the day care centre) tell me that we have to take the child to the hospital.”
He said that upon checking the child, he observed that Baquan was motionless, his lips were ‘blue’ and his skin was discoloured.
The couple rushed the baby to a private hospital, “but by then he was already gone”, he said.
According to Mr. Shepherd, a staffer at the day care centre said that she had fed the child around 11:00 hrs yesterday and that he had slept from then to 16:00 hrs.
He insisted that his baby was in good health. “The child was not sickly; he weighed about 18 pounds. He was a heavy, healthy child.”
The Mayor and City Council was originally responsible for issuing licences for the operation of Day Care centres.
However, following the passing last November of the Child Services Development Act, responsibility for Day Care centres has been passed over to the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA).
A CC&PA official explained that the agency is now “setting up systems” to manage the centres.